Dispenser incorporating air-exhaust means for use with semi-fluid materials



Jan. 7, 1958 J. T. JONES 2,818,993

DISPENSER INCORPORATING AIR-EXHAUST MEANS FOR USE WITH SEMI-FLUIDMATERIALS Filed Jan. 26,` 1956 ATTURNEY Patented Jan. 7, i958 EESPENSIERWCRPRATNG .1am-EXHAUST MEANS FR. USE WITH @EME-ELU@ M- TEREALS feines i3liones, Wentzville, Mo.

`application .lanuary 26, i956, Serial No. Sdllfii Claims. (Cl. Z22-479)This invention relates to dispensers for semi-fluid substances,particularly semi-fluid cream-like hand cleaners and soaps; and isdirected particularly to providing improved air-exhaust means for adispenser of the type shown in my co-pending application Serial No.191,604- led October 23, 195i), now Patent No. 2,751,124.

In this application the term semi-huid refers to substances having theconsistency of ordinary hand creams and ointments. Such substances,though they flow fluidlike under substantial pressure, do not flow undertheir own Weight when handled in ordinary quantities at roomtemperature. Whether or not they are viscous, their essentiallysemi-fluid qualities prevent them from being handled in the same manneras ordinary fluids; for example, they cannot be poured into a dispenser.

In refilling a partly-full dispenser of the type described in myccs-pending application, there is presented the problem of evacuatingair between the level of the contents already present in the dispenserand the new quantity of material to be added thereto. Unless such air isevacuated, a dispenser of such type will not function uninterruptedly.Furthermore, certain creams of the semifluid nature heretofore describedmay be injuriously affected by the presence of air.

A commercially-desirable feature of the type of dispenser referred to isthat it be refilled, regardless of the level of its contents, merely byinvertingy a new can of the substance over the dispenser and pressing itdownward until the air above the existing dispenser contents has beenevacuated. if the dispenser can be so rclled, an attendant who servicessuch dispensers periodically need not wait until the contents of thedispenser drop to any selected level. However, the provision for theexhausting of air within the dispenser, shown in said co-pendingapplication, has not been entirely satisfactory. In particular, if thedispenser contents have dropped to a very low level, there has been atendency on refilling to discharge some of the newly-added contentsthrough the airexhaust Vent.

It is therefore the purpose of the present inventori to provide improvedair-exhaust means to avoid the entrapment of air between the contents ofthe dispenser and a newly-added charge of such substance to be filledtherein.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure l is a View, partly in elevation and partly in section, of adispenser of the type mentioned employing the exhaust vent provisions ofthe present invention, shown partly filled with such substance,preliminary to refilling.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary View similar to Figure l, the arrows showingthe exhaustion of the air as an additional charge of contents are forcedinto the dispenser.

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional View taken along line 3 3of Figure 2, rotated approximately 45 and showing the construction of mynew air-exhaust vent tube.

The dispenser which is the subject of said cri-pending applicationincludes a generally cylindrical vessel .lli having an open top 1l andsupported by a preferably cast metal base 12 molded to provide a centraltapering Well i3 leading to a centrally-located small cylindrical sumpltd. In the cylindrical sump 14 is an upward-pointed conical piston 15mounted on an axially reciprocating piston rod le which passes throughthe center of the cylindrical sump 14 and is actuated by spring returnpedal means l? through a dispenser support pedestal l5.

The piston rod lid has a necked-down valving portion i9 beneath theconical piston :l5 to permit passage of a quantity of the dispenserscontents through the piston bore Ztl and a slanting discharge bore 21 toa discharge opening 22.

in the dispenser base l2 and located adjacent the edge of thecylindrical sump 14 is a vent aperture bore 23, which passes into thebase 12 and communicates therein with the slanting discharge bore 2l,thence to vent to the atmosphere through the discharge opening 22.

The upper end of the vent aperture bore Z3 has a counter-bore 2li. ln itis press-fitted an air exhaust vent tube 25 which is the principalsubject of the present invention.

The vent tube 25 is formed preferably of some material unaffected by thesubstances for which the dispenser is to be used, in ordinary caseseither corrosion-resistant steel or substantially pure aluminum. Thetube extends from the counter-bore Zlnearly the entire depth of thecylindrical vessel itl, where its upper end 2n is filled by an upper endplug 27, whose upper surface is domed or rounded as shown.

At various levels between the upper and lower ends of the tube 2'5 itswall is penetrated by a plurality of lateral, substantially cylindricalvent apertures or ports 28. The

v diameter of these Vent apertures 28 is chosen with reference to theviscosity and solidity at room temperature of the substance to be filledinto the dispenser. For substances such as those described, andutilizing a tube 25 whose wall thickness is approximately lg, I findthat this measurement also serves very well as the diameter for theapertures 28. There is no feasible way of defining such diameter save inempirical terms, in that it must not be so small as to permit cloggingof the apertures 28 by such substance when a can thereof is presseddownward over the tube 25, nor yet so large that there will be anysubstantial tendency of the semi-fluid substance to flow into them. Thiswill be discussed hereafter.

i The problem met by the present invention is illustrated 1n Figures 1and 2. .in each, the level of contents of the dispenser prior torefilling is designated u, whereas contents newly being forced into thedispenser having an advancing surface designated b, which moves towardthe level a. Such newly-added contents are furnished in generallycylindrical cans such as the can c, whose top has been removed as shownin the figures, and the can inverted and pressed over the open top lilof the cylindrical vessel lli?. The inner diameter of the can cissufliciently greater than the outer diameter of the cylindrical vessel1t) to permit telescoping fit, as illustrated.

As the can c is pressed over the open top il of the vessel it), thedoomed upper surface of the end plug 27 makes a smooth indentation intothe surface b of the contents of the can c; and as the can c is presseddownward, air between its contents and the pre-existing level a of thedispenser contents is driven out through the lateral vent apertures Ziof the vent tube 2S. Since these apertures 23 extend in a directionsubstantially perpendicular to that in which the newly-added substancemoves in being charged into the dispenser, and since these contentspossess little tendency to flow under their own weight, little lor noneof the newly-added substance passes into the apertures 2d. As the can cdescends, the domed upper end plug Z7 makes a substantiallycleanly-indented impression in the surface b of the substance beingnewly added, while air beneath the surface b and the level a of thepre-existing dispenser contents, is driven outward through thoseapertures 28 which lie between the two masses of semi-duid substance.The air so driven passes downward through the vent tube 25 and throughthe vent apertures 2S in the dispenser base l2, to be discharged throughthe dispenser discharge opening 22.

Many substances, such as certain creams, ointments, and semi-fluidsoaps, possess a slight tendency to iOw under their own weight,depending upon variations of room temperature, but this flow tendency isnot sufficient to permit mere pouring of the contents into the vesselll?. For such substances, which possess some extent of fluidlikecharacteristics, a certain amount of experimentation may be necessary todetermine the most advantageous diameter for the lateral vent apertures28.

The vent tube 25 has been described as being erected on the dispenserbase 12; and ordinarily it will prove advantageous to orient the tube 2Sso that it extends in a line parallel to the axis of the cylindricalvessel ltl, thus reducing to a minimum the tendency of the apertures 28to become clogged. However, if desired the tube 2S may be tiltedslightly so that its upper end 26 is somewhat closer to the axis f thevessel 10. ln case of pronounced tilt of the tube 2S the apertures 2Sdrilled therein may be disposed along the true horizontal, rather thanperpendicular to the aXis of the tube 25.

The air-exhaust vent described effects a substantial improvement in thecharging of the dispenser over the means shown in my cci-pendingapplication, particularly in avoiding any tendency of substance to passinto the air-exhaust vent tube 25', thus giving the attendant whoservices the dispensers greater latitude into determining when to refillthem.

Various modifications and changes may be made without departing from theprinciples of the present invention. Accordingly, it should be limitedonly by the scope of the claims which follow.

I claim:

1. In a dispenser for fluids of such stiff consistency as to flow onlyunder substantial pressure, such dispenser incorporating a vessel and abase therefor through which such substances are dispensed, anair-exhaust charging vent comprising a passage through the base of suchvessel and communicating with the atmosphere, and a substantiallyupright tube erected upon the base of such vessel in communication withsaid passage and extending for the greater part of the depth of suchvessel, said tube having a closed upper end and a plurality ofsubstantially horizontal lateral ports spaced vertically from each otherwhereby, on forcing a supply of such stiff liuid into the vessels top,air is exhausted through the tube and the vessel base without anydischarge of such fluid therethrough.

2. An air-exhaust charging vent as defined in claim 1, the lateral portshaving cylindrical bores of such diameter, selected with reference tothe consistency of the fluid, as to avoid horizontal flow of the iiuidtherethrough.

3. A dispenser for viscous semi-fluid substances and the like,comprising an open-top vessel having a base, controllable dischargemechanism in the base, a vent passage therethrough and communicating tothe atmosphere, and an air-exhaust vent adapted to permit adding suchsubstance into said vessel when partly full, regardless of the level ofits contents, said vent including an air-exhaust vent tube erected onsaid base and having a lower end communicating with said vent, said tubeextending upward to a level adjacent the upper margin of the vessel andhaving a closed upper end and lateral vent apertures through the wall ofthe tube at a plurality of levels spaced between its upper and lowerends, whereby on pressing such added substance into such partly lledvessel, air beneath such added substance and above the level of theexisting contents is exhausted through the apertures between said leveland the substance being added.

4. A readily lled dispenser for semi-fluid substances comprising ahollow, cylindrical chamber having an open end adapted to receive acharge of such substance and thereby substantially fill the chamber,side walls, a closed end opposite said open end and toward which suchsubstance is to advance, discharge means in the region of said closedend, an air-exhaust vent passage to the atmosphere in said region, and avent tube communicating with said vent passage and extending toward theopen end of the chamber and having a plurality of apertures spaced alongthe tube length and penetrating the tube wall substantiallyperpendicular to the cylinder axis, the tube further having a closed endpresented toward the open end of the charnber, where y on inverting acylindrical can of such semiiiuid substance and pressing ittelescopingly over the open end of the chamber, such substance is driveninto the chamber and the air in advance thereof is driven out throughthe vent tube apertures, without passage of any substantial quantity ofsuch substance into the vent tube.

5. For use with semi-iiuid substances, a readily reiillable dispenser,including a vessel adapted to be substantially lled by a charge of suchsubstance and to discharge same in small quantities, said vessel havingan open end adapted to receive a charge of such semi-duid substance,side walls, and a closed end opposite said open end and toward whichsuch charge is to advance, the dispenser further having discharge meansin said closed end, an air-exhaust vent passage located in the region ofthe closed end and venting to the atmosphere, and a vent tubecommunicating with said vent passage and extending therefrom the greaterpart of the length of the vessel toward the open end at which saidvessel is filled, the tube having a closed surface presented in thedirection of filling and a tube body portion extending substantiallyparallel to the direction in which such charge of substance moves onbeing filled into the vessel, the tube having a plurality of portsthrough the tube wall spaced along its length and communicating throughthe vent passage to the atmosphere.

6. A readily relillable dispenser as defined in claim 5, the ports beingsubstantially perpendicular to the direction in which such charge ofsemi-fluid substance moves on being filled into the vessel, whereby toavoid oW of such substance into said ports.

7. A dispenser adapted to dispense semi-fluid substances lfromcylindrical cans which have been opened by removal of their tops,comprising an open-topped cylindrical vessel having an outer diameterless than the inner diameter of such can whereby such can containingsuch semi-fluid substance may be inverted and pressed telescopingly inplace over the vessel, the vessel having a base, controllable dischargemechanism therein, and an air-exhaust vent passage through the base andcommunieating to the atmosphere, together with air-exhaust meansincluding a vent tube erected on said base and having a lower endcommunicating with said passage, said vent tube having a body portionextending upward from the base to a level adjacent the upper margin ofthe vessel and terminating in a closed upper tube end, said body portionhaving air vent apertures extending through the tube wall at a pluralityof levels spaced between the upper and lower ends thereof, whereby onpressing such inverted can of such substance telescopingly downward oversaid vessel, air within said vessel beneath the contents of such can isdriven out therebeneath through one or more of said air vent apertures.

No references cited.

